Exemplary embodiments herein relate to vehicle frame assemblies, and more particularly relate to bumper beam assemblies and mounting arrangements for the bumper beam assemblies.
Vehicle frame assemblies often include a front end frame assembly extending laterally across a vehicle and disposed adjacent a forward end of the vehicle. The front end frame assembly can be a forward portion of the vehicle frame that defines a front wall of the vehicle's engine compartment. A bumper beam also extends laterally across the vehicle and is spaced apart longitudinally forward of the front and frame assembly. In a prior art construction, the bumper beam is attached to the front end frame assembly at opposite ends of the bumper beam by single attachment structures. More particularly, a first attachment structure is provided at one end of the bumper beam for attaching that end to the front end frame assembly and a second attachment structure is provided at a second, opposite end of the bumper assembly for attaching that end to the front end frame assembly. These attachment structures can be provided at or adjacent the respective ends of the bumper assembly, but are typically the only structures connecting the bumper beam to the front end frame assembly.
The attachment structures connecting the bumper beam to the front end frame assembly can each be in the form of a crush can for providing controlled deformation when the bumper beam is impacted by an external force (e.g., a front end collision). However, it can be difficult to design the crush can attachment structures to address both low speed and high speed crash conditions.